NW Business Briefs: Science and Industry Museum; DV8 Designs; Bio BIC; Electricity NW; DAM Health; Sacha Lord Foundation
The Science and Industry Museum in Manchester has been awarded £14.2m of national capital funding by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to complete further urgent repairs and improvements over the next two years.
The museum is currently undergoing a multimillion-pound restoration programme across its seven acres, and this latest funding recognises the importance of conserving and futureproofing its globally significant heritage site while supporting the museum to continue inspiring visitors with ideas that change the world.
Among other conservation works, this funding will see repairs made to the museum’s Grade II-listed New Warehouse roof, gutters, windows and masonry.
The works will start later in the year, with the museum remaining open throughout.
Details have been announced alongside the museum’s full 2023 programme, which will feature construction, technical and heritage skills-themed events and activities that take inspiration from the site’s live engineering projects.
The museum recently celebrated another milestone when the final roof slate was laid on the Power Hall roof, meaning work can now begin within. It said it is also continuing to put decarbonisation at the heart of its renovation works.
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Belfast City Airport
Following a series of successful rebrand openings of Aspire Airport Lounges, North West-based concept design specialists, DV8 Designs, has once again been appointed to work with Aspire, the airport lounge brand owned by Swissport, on its Belfast City Airport scheme.
The team at DV8 Designs worked alongside the Aspire brand guidelines and drew from its extensive experience of designing high-end restaurants and boutique hotels, creating a sophisticated yet comfortable space where passengers can work, relax and socialise, resulting in an award-winning Aspire Lounge in Edinburgh and London Luton.
Graham Allen, head of Aspire Lounges UK & Ireland, said: “Aspire is delighted to be partnering once again with DV8 Designs on the redevelopment of our lounge at Belfast City Airport. This exciting project will enable Aspire to maximise use of the space and modernise our facility to meet and exceed the expectations of our guests.
“DV8 consistently recognise the need to tailor each project to ensure the ever-changing travel needs of our guests are met and ensure that Aspire remains a market leader of airport lounges. Our lounge at Belfast City will be designed with our new identity at its foundations, recognisably Aspire with a distinct sense of place.”
DV8 Designs owner, Lee Birchall, said: “Our design team enjoy the strong working relationship with Aspire, having a degree of creative freedom to bring our latest airport experience to life.”
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From left: Paul Vernon (head of STFC’s Daresbury Laboratory), Dr Amy Farrington, (STFC head of business incubation), Massimo Noro (STFC business development director)
A new business programme designed to support biotechnology start-ups in the North West has formally launched at Sci-Tech Daresbury, with its first call for participants. The new Biotech Business Incubation Centre (Bio BIC) is a collaboration between UK Research and Innovation’s Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC).
It will help small biotechnology businesses, emerging from leading bioscience research, turn their innovative technology concepts into market reality.
Located within STFC’s Daresbury Laboratory, Bio BIC will ensure that biotechnology businesses, built on leading bioscience research, can bridge the gap between science and market and achieve their full commercial potential. The Bio BIC programme will provide a support package for start-ups, initially over a five-year period.
Successful applicants will receive support up to the value of £90,000 in the form of up to £45,000 targeted research and development (R&D) funding, up to 100 hours access to R&D facilities and ongoing onsite technical advice, intellectual property protection support, unlimited business coaching provided by dedicated business experts, and networking and introductions to investors, customers, sector stakeholders and next stage funders
Sci-Tech Daresbury is home to more than 150 high tech companies that benefit from access to cutting-edge technologies and expertise to develop and improve products and boost productivity. The campus has a ‘home-for-life’ ethos. A growing number of rapidly-expanding biotechnology firms, such as Croda and Holiferm, are adding momentum to the emergence of an exciting new biotech cluster within Sci-Tech Daresbury.
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Electricity North West engineer
Up to £600,000 is being invested as part of a major power network upgrade in Fulwood, as engineers from Electricity North West commence works on D’Urton Lane, which will see 2.4km of underground electricity cables upgraded.
The Stockport-based firm, which manages and operates the region’s power network, is carrying out the vital network upgrades after issues with the existing cables caused recent power cuts in the area. Ben Fiddler, who is overseeing the work in Fulwood for Electricity North West, said: “We recognised issues with the underground cables on D’Urton Lane and decided to carry out the works as soon as possible to avoid ongoing disruption to our customers. A scheme like this would usually take up to 12 months to plan but we’ve worked closely with the local authority and brought everything forward and planned it all in just eight weeks.
“We’re making a significant investment which will see a large stretch of underground cables replaced and we’re also using the opportunity to upgrade some of our other electrical assets in the area.
“I want to thank the residents of Fulwood for their patience and support whilst we carry out the work on D’Urton Lane. Power cuts do happen for a variety of reasons, some of which are out of our control, and while we have a replacement programme, I’m pleased that we’re able to react quickly in this instance to bring the work forward and help make supplies more reliable.”
The stretch of works will take place on D’Urton Lane through to Haighton Green Lane. While engineers are carrying out the work, a road closure will be in place, however, access will be maintained for residents.
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A unique collaboration between The Pandemic Institute in Liverpool and healthcare company DAM Health saw the next generation of postgraduate students being awarded a grant of £3,500 each to aid them in their studies.
Seven students received awards from Prof Frank Joseph, Liverpool-based DAM Health’s medical director and Dr Ray Kent, chief operating officer of The Pandemic Institute, both of whom were members of the judging panel which considered projects submitted by postgraduate students from The University of Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores University and Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.
The seven winners were: Caitlin Greenland-Bews (LSTM). Benefit of Award: Travel and attendance to compulsory training courses. Caitlin Thompson (LSTM). Benefit of Award: Travel to the Prof Kobinger’s laboratory at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB). Emily Wharton. Benefit or Award: Travel to overseas conference. Kostas Liatsikos (LSTM) Benefit of award: Attending two conferences. Neelam Iqbal (UoL) Benefit of award: Attending two key conferences. Rosheem Mthawanji (UoL) Benefit of award: Training, Mentorship and Conferences. Mercy Chepkirui Terer (LSTM) based in Kenya. Benefit of award: Training, mentorship and conferences.
Dr Ray Kent said: “Thanks to the generosity of DAM Health, one of our sponsors, we have a wonderful opportunity with the Student Excellence Awards 2023 to support some exceptionally talented researchers.”
Prof Frank Joseph said: “It was amazing to be able to reward the students for their amazing endeavours. The quality of the work and the presentations were exceptional and spanned a wide variety of topics looking at more than just what people traditionally think of with pandemics.”
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Sacha Lord
A charity to help young people enter the hospitality and event industry is set to launch later this year, Parklife co founder and Greater Manchester night time economy lead, Sacha Lord, has announced.
The Sacha Lord Foundation, which is currently applying for charitable status, will provide those aged 15-21 with educational funding and employment opportunities in the hospitality and event sectors. Supporting disadvantaged young people living in Greater Manchester, it will provide ‘the first step on the ladder’ for those wanting to create a career in the sector, working in partnership with schools, colleges and higher education facilities to fund and provide education placements through scholarships and maintenance grants.
It will also work directly with employers to develop work experience placements allowing students to learn and develop real-world skills and widen career development pathways. Lord said: “When I was a teenager, I knew I wanted to get into music and events but no one around me was able to advise how. Thirthy years later, and through perseverance and hard work, I am walking evidence that in my industry, there is no barrier and opportunities are open to all if you know where to look, even for someone who left school with two Us and an E.
“There are so many young people in Greater Manchester, particularly after COVID, who will be in the same position I was back in the day, where you feel like everyone else knows what they’re doing and you don’t. This will be especially prevalent in the more deprived areas across our city region where opportunities are few and far between, and the financial means to follow your desired career path are limited.”
The Foundation will be funded by Lord and other hospitality figures including John Drape, founder of Ground Control, as well as industry partnerships. Demi Lord will be appointed to the role of CEO. The Foundation is due to launch in late 2023.
